Meet your new boss

With each job I take on, no matter the duration of the project, there’s always the same adjustment period of figuring out how the people you’re working with… well, work.. Do they give you free-rein to work or micromanage you every step of the way?

It doesn’t hurt to have a conversation about working styles from the get go, and to understand clearly what is expected of you.

A helpful tip is to have certain practices or working guidelines of your own at the ready that you can offer the client, such as a specific workflow or way of working. Be prepared to be flexible and just remember that communication is key to creating great work together!

Adulting becomes on step trickier

I’m at the age now where all my friends are trying to buy insurance, apply for credit cards, and even buy their first HDB flat. As a freelancer, you generally don’t have CPF employer contributions, you don’t have a consistent, monthly salary to credit into your bank, and you don’t have health insurance or protection that comes with a full time job. It can be really frustrating to try to figure out how to get these things set up for yourself in the early days.

Be patient with yourself as you navigate these tricky topics, and know that things clear up along the way. There are tons of financial planning services and seminars available for free (and ones that won’t try to sell you insurance), so check out your bank’s website or instagram page for #Adulting courses!

You never get off work

My friends with 9-5 jobs often tell me “I wish I was a freelancer so I can wake up anytime” or “You’re so lucky you don’t have to wake up early to go to the office” . There’s this huge myth around the “freeness” of a freelancer, and reality is far from it.

Since I’ve started working, it’s been 6am starts, burned weekends, 10pm Zoom calls, and all-nighters to finish work. While every job comes with its crazy overtime, there’s an added dimension of stress for freelancers. Since it’s rare to be working on only one project at a time, it means balancing the needs of multiple clients at the same time - who all deserve your full attention - and having that sometimes come at the expense of your own sanity. If you want to make it as a freelancer, you must be willing to make sacrifices

There’s no certainty of tomorrow

While you may have projects lined up for the next couple of weeks (or months if you’re really lucky), many freelancers are working project to project. This means that while you’re working, you’re also looking for a new job at the same time.

It’s really important to plan your finances early on. Creating a separate bank account for incoming payments and one for spending is a really clean and simple way to do that, and there are also tons of apps out there to help track your spending.

It is lonely

A lot of the work I do (video editing, writing, research) involves me sitting at my desk at home all day working. Not gonna lie, it is a dream for productivity, and I can get a lot done in a day. But sometimes, a week will go by and I realise I haven’t spoken to or seen another human being (outside of Zoom and WhatsApp), and it can be quite lonely and alienating.

Every job comes with its own unique set of challenges, and these are just some of the unique problems related to freelancing. Even now, after a few years of being a gig worker, simple problems pop up every now and then that throw me off my game. But, when it’s all said and done, I’d never trade anything for the work that has come my way.

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